AFL Round 17 Preview & Betting – West Coast Vs Carlton

The bottom of the ladder West Coast Eagles will welcome the eight-placed Carlton to the Subiaco Oval on Saturday afternoon for what could shape up as the upset of the weekend.

In an interesting turn of events, when critics were saying the Eagles were out for the count and a cert for the wooden spoon this year, they rose up and defeated Essendon last round, while the Blues could not handle the pressure against the Swans and now struggle for a top eight place, making this an interesting battle.

Carlton travel to Perth as the slight favourites at $1.87 for the victory with Ladbrokes.com.au but after just a single win from their last five, the future is not looking bright for the Blues – making this a must win game if they want to maintain a top eight place.

There was little to take away from the Sydney fixture in round 16 for Carlton, although Shaun Hampson managed two goals in the lacklustre show – and will be relied upon once more to deliver.

It is all up to the Blues for this one, either they come out fighting as they did in the early rounds delivering the likes of Geelong and St Kilda defeats, or they lick their wounds from last round and dig a deeper grave for themselves.

The Eagles are at $1.94 for the win – only slightly longer odds than their opponents, and need to take advantage of the seemingly vulnerable Carlton side to confirm their luck has changed to save them from claiming the wooden spoon.

Mark LeCras was superb against the Bombers last round kicking an emphatic 12 goals which is likely to earn him All-Australian selection, and the small forward will spark fear into the Blues’ defence – something he must make the most of.

These two met back in round ten and saw Carlton come away with a 29-point win which turned a rollercoaster season for the Eagles to a spiralling downwards turn – but which way will this one go?

Our tip of the match is to go against the odds and back a West Coast win by 1-19 points at $4.25 with Ladbrokes.com.au.

AFLRules Tip Of The Match

This is a tough one to call, but looking at the Eagles’ recent performances – a win last round at the Etihad and a convincing show at the Subiaco against Adelaide pushes the favour towards West Coast. While Carlton were top four contenders earlier this season they seem to have lost that spark, and so our tip of the match is to go against the odds and back a West Coast win by 1-19 points at $4.25 with Ladbrokes.com.au.